Site believed to be North Korean missile base discovered near border with China: U.S. think tank
Published: 21 Aug. 2025, 20:30
![Satellite image of North Korea’s Sinpung-dong missile base taken on July 11 [BEYOND PARALLEL]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/d6359117-f2a4-4533-b4e0-fc000a9a42b1.jpg)
Satellite image of North Korea’s Sinpung-dong missile base taken on July 11 [BEYOND PARALLEL]
A previously unknown North Korean missile base believed to be brigade-level and equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) has been identified in Sinpung-dong, North Pyongan Province, near the Chinese border, according to a new analysis.
Commercial satellite imagery taken on July 11 revealed underground entrances, subterranean facilities and structures believed to be for command and support units at the Sinpung-dong site, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington said Wednesday in a report.
The Sinpung-dong missile base “houses a brigade-sized unit, based on analysis of the high-resolution satellite images since 2003,” according to the report.
While the exact missile systems stationed at the base remain uncertain, CSIS assessed that the facility may host between six and nine Hwasong-15 or Hwasong-18 ICBMs, or possibly a new, undisclosed model. The analysis also pointed to the presence of transporter erector launchers (TELs).
“Current assessments are that during times of crisis or war, these launchers and missiles will exit the base, meet special warhead storage/transportation units and conduct launch operations from dispersed pre-surveyed sites,” the report noted.
"The Sinpung-dong Missile Operating Base and the other missile bases within North Korea’s strategic ballistic missile belt [including other undeclared bases like the Hoejung-ni, Sangnam-ni and Yongnim Missile Operating Bases] represent the primary components of what is presumed to be North Korea's evolving ballistic missile strategy, and its expanding strategic-level nuclear deterrence and strike capabilities," said the report.
North Korea is estimated to operate 15 to 20 ballistic missile bases, according to CSIS. During the 2018—19 denuclearization talks with the United States, the dismantlement of missile bases was not part of the agenda, which focused instead on the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province.
Still, military observers caution that the Sinpung-dong site may not represent North Korea’s newest ICBM deployment. CSIS assessed that the base was likely constructed between 2004 and 2014. The Hwasong-15, thought to be stationed there, is a liquid-fueled ICBM regarded as an earlier-generation model.
This has led to speculation that the Sinpung-dong base may be used for propulsion system improvements or for developing intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), rather than exclusively serving as a forward-deployed ICBM base.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIM SEO-KYONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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